Incomplete
by Starlight River of Dreams
Summary: Scientists are supposed to be able to predict the future. But how could he, when the future was so unpredictable? On hold.


**My first shot at a multi-chapter story on FanFiction. Many thanks to 'EppopinkfangirlXDXDXD' for beta-reading this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: For all I did not create, to their respective owners.**

Scientists are supposed to be able to predict the future.

At least, _he_ was supposed to.

In this case, though, Kowalski didn't even know what _had_ happened, let alone what was _going_ to happen. He never imagined that this was possible; the outcome had never passed his mind.

He was completely ignorant.

The day had gone by quite uneventfully, and there had been no missions or training exercises. He had been allowed time to work on his latest invention, a Chronotron, a creation allowing creatures to travel through time, although the word 'travel' was not quite accurate when dealing with time. So far, however, he hadn't much luck with it. He had leaned back onto the wall behind him with a sigh, staring at the materials he had collected. He remembered the fish bowl scraping against the false ice as he took a short break, and Skipper's voice cutting through the HQ.

"Private, come down. I want to speak to you. Rico, dinner's at seven. Come down by then. And don't fly the kite too high. We don't want Alice getting suspicious."

There was a distant squawk.

"Coming, Skippah!"

The sounds had shocked him slightly. The base had been silent before Skipper spoke, and the voices had sounded unnaturally loud. He remembered hearing the fish bowl being shifted back into place. If only he had known what will happen.

"Kowalski? What are you making in there?"

Kowalski had paused, squinting slightly to inspect his invention in its current stages. It hadn't been much more than a few pieces of metal bent to form the structure of the creation.

"Well… A Chronotron, although I'm not too sure whether it will work or not."

"A Chrono-what?"

"Chronotron. It is supposed to allow one to travel through time." He decided to keep it to the very basics.

"Well, I just hope you don't destroy anything. Come on, Private."

_Destroy?_ A Chronotron wasn't meant to interfere with anything. It was just so the team could see what was going to happen and perhaps prepare for it. It's not built to "destroy anything". But before he could reply, he heard Skipper walking in the direction away from him.

As Skipper's and Private's footsteps faded into the corners of the HQ, Kowalski had shrugged and gone back to working on the Chronotron.

Many times, he wondered what might've happened if he hadn't been busy building in his lab, if he had been taking notes on Rico's kite instead. Or if Skipper hadn't called Private down. Or if Skipper had told Rico to come down. Or if… His mind had generated many other possibilities, branching out to many different parallels to the world he is living in. But, as Skipper would say, thinking about what _could've_ happened doesn't help anything or anyone. You could only try to make the best of what you have got.

But he didn't like not knowing.

He remembered Skipper yelling that it was dinnertime a while later, although it really must've been at least two hours, and he had hastily packed away the equipment and covered the invention with a cloth. He had waddled out expecting his teammates to be already crowding around the table and Skipper glaring at him for being late, but instead he found Private sitting there by himself, with a plate of fish set in front of him. Kowalski had frowned, all his previous thoughts on the Chronotron and speed of light dissolving into one simple question. A simple question with such a complicated answer.

"Where is…?" he began to ask, but just then, Skipper crashed into the base. His eyes were darting around frantically, and after a second, they homed in on Kowalski.

"Has anyone of you seen Rico?"

Time seemed to freeze, although it was scientifically impossible. It was as though everything stopped, and the world took a pause in the constant running of seconds and minutes. His mind also seemed to be paralyzed, unfamiliarly blank.

It was Private who answered.

"…No?"

Then the spell broke and the neurons in his brain started sparking again. Kowalski immediately shook his head.

_What does Skipper mean?_

His leader frowned. "He's not topside."

That was when the trouble started.

According to Skipper, Rico had never disobeyed an order before, and even Kowalski found it strange that his teammate had disappeared. Rico always seemed to be where they expected him to be; which is where Skipper told him to be. Puzzled and concerned, they had left their dinner and started looking for their teammate. They had gone around to the different habitats in the zoo, asked a lot of the animals if they had seen a penguin, disturbed Marlene's meal, ticked Joey off, ran out of his habitat before they could be kicked out, and came back with no news about Rico. The zoo animals' answers only increased their worry.

"What do you think happened to Rico?"

"Maybe the wind was very strong and he flew away with the kite?"

"One, penguins don't fly. Two, the string would've broke before the kite can lift Rico from the ground. Three, he would've called out."

"Then what's your suggestion?"

Eventually, after much confusion and theories, Kowalski found faint scratch marks on the ice in their own habitat, where Rico had been.

Rico had been dragged away against his will.

That much was clear. Skipper had taught the whole team how to travel without leaving any marks or indications that they had been there, and Rico had been no exception. None of them ever walked by dragging their feet along. Even when they were tired, they didn't scratch the surface they were walking on. Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Kowalski had laid out the facts. There had been no sound of struggles, no warning growl, nothing. The last time any of them had seen Rico - that had been Private - he had been flying his old red-and-yellow kite in the habitat. There were scratch marks on the ice that tasted - Skipper had done that test - like Rico. Rico never told anyone that he was going anywhere.

But it was not enough.

Why would anyone target Rico? And who would be able to sneak up to a highly trained military penguin who would attack without hesitation? Questions had bubbled up, one after another, until Skipper demanded another interrogation in the zoo.

So they went around again. By then, some of the other animals were also getting annoyed, and Joey was fuming. This time, he got his wish and gave Skipper a black eye, muttering about "the time with that lemur", whatever that was supposed to mean. Kowalski and Private fled before they could be treated the same way. Finally, they had gone to Marlene; Skipper with a block of ice over one eye. She wasn't happy to see them again.

"Look, I haven't seen Rico. Even if he passed my habitat, how am I supposed to spot him? You guys sneak around like shadows. I'll tell you who I saw, okay? There was this zookeeper guy, and it's not Alice or her partner. He wears the same clothes as them, and he has a sack of peanuts."

The penguins had stared at her. Marlene glared back.

"What?"

_That's vital information!_

"Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" Skipper asked incredulously.

"So you found your answer? Great, that's just great. Go find Rico now, then." The otter had turned back to her oysters.

_The zookeeper must be it. A sack of peanuts? Sounds suspicious. I don't remember any shells in Burt's habitat just then._

"I don't know what's up with her," Skipper had said afterwards as they headed back to their habitat.

"I know, she's usually so friendly."

"She's acting as if she has ants in her fur."

"I believe we have a missing teammate in our flippers and a suspiciously new zookeeper." Kowalski tried to steer the conversation back onto the right track.

"Yes, I know. The zookeeper must have kidnapped Rico or something." _Or chose him to be transferred to a new zoo._

"But why would he do that?"

Skipper had stopped then and looked at Private. His gaze was, if possible, more serious than usual.

"I don't know, soldier. But we are going to find out."

The computer wasn't helping anything.

Kowalski jabbed at the keyboard, frustrated. He had found their profiles, including Rico's, but it mentioned nothing about transferring. In fact, it had the same information as the other penguins, with the exception of age and history. His current status was 'In Central Park Zoo'. It made no sense. If Rico wasn't transferred, where was he? And why didn't he make a sound?

"Kowalski? Status report."

Kowalski let his flipper slam down onto one of the keys.

"Nothing on the computer, Skipper. This isn't a zoo transfer."

"Suspicious."

_Isn't everything?_

Kowalski sighed and glanced around. Private was turning over books and Skipper was scanning a pile of cardboard boxes. Alice's office looked as messy as ever, and smelled just as bad. _That would be because of her shoes._

Why?

He did not understand. How did _Rico_ end up gone? Kowalski expected him to be responsible for someone else's disappearance, not the other way around. He had always acted before he thought - if he even thought about anything - and wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone in his own defense. He was skilled, thanks to Skipper, and he had the equipment. He could easily take out someone in a fight, especially when he had his chainsaw. Just _how_ could he vanish into thin air?

It didn't make any sense. And Kowalski _hated_ it when things don't make sense.

"Alice! Alice is coming!" Private's cry sliced through his brooding. In a flash, the computer was off and the three penguins dove into the recycle bin. _Which, surprisingly, didn't smell that bad._

The door was wrenched open and Alice stormed in, grumbling. The penguins held their breaths.

"I swear I saw someone in the zoo. And they said that I'm the only one on duty! And with a smirk on their faces. They probably think I'm loony or something; don't believe me, do they? Well, I'll just _show_ them."

As sapphire eyes locked on sapphire eyes, the remaining members of the team knew that this was no simple transfer. Alice's complaints faded into the background as realization dawned on them.

_Sweet mercy._

Kowalski finished the final touches on the robotic penguins. He stepped back, and circled the models, his perfectionist's eyes catching every detail. The synthetic feathers were smoothed down, the heads were rounded and the flippers were sleek. They didn't look like the team, but they were similar enough to real penguins of their species.

It will have to do.

He brushed off some sawdust on the shortest penguin's beak, and sighed as his flipper touched plastic. He wished he had more time.

But time was of the essence. They had to get to Rico as quickly as possible. The more time they wasted, the less likely they will find him.

So it will have to do.

He opened a cleverly disguised cover on the robot's back, and checked the programming. When he was satisfied, he flicked the switches on.

The eyes glowed blue.

It was unnatural; cold. An electric blue. But Kowalski had no time to fiddle with colours.

"Kowalski; are the robots finished yet?"

Skipper's voice floated down. Immediately, Kowalski answered:

"Yes, Skipper. I've already tested them. They're ready."

"Then bring them up. The zoo is going to open in 15 minutes. We have to go by then."

Kowalski switched on the last robot, and watched as another pair of empty eyes filled with artificial colour. He turned away from the oddly haunting orbs, and leapt up to the top where his leader was waiting for him.

He nodded at Skipper.

_It's all ready._

The robots would cover for them in the day, designed to fool the humans. Fish would be collected and stored in the fridge. They would enter a small room adjacent to the penguins' HQ at night, and come out at dawn. Then the routine would begin again. There was enough energy stored in them to keep them going for a whole month.

Meanwhile, the real penguins would be searching the whole city and beyond for their missing teammate.

Skipper nodded back stiffly.

"Let's go, then. We'll find Rico. After me, boys."

When the bell was struck in the zoo, the penguins were long gone.

The first day brought no results, other than the fact the robots worked.

Neither did the second.

When the three penguins set out on the third day since Rico disappeared, their confidence had depleted. Their firm belief of success was wavering, and Kowalski wondered if he would ever see the psychopath again. Skipper spoke less, and Private's smiles became rare. Silences were common, and tension was thick.

The penguins were plunging into gloom.

Kowalski knew that unless they found Rico safe and sound, nothing would ever be the same again. They could go back to their normal lifestyle; they could even escape to another continent, but the absence of a teammate would always linger amongst them. It would always float between each sentence; always follow them like an invisible presence. A ghost.

The scientist followed quietly as his teammates combed the east side of New York that day, watching for any clues Skipper and Private might've missed. He knew it was unlikely; they were all sharpened by determination and the goal to find their teammate, their family member. But it seemed like they might never find Rico.

He remembered Skipper's words the night before, as he finished his frozen fish. The leader had thrown up his flippers and declared:

"I thought I would be dealing with _you_ inventing something that would destroy the world. Instead, I get a missing Rico."

It wasn't particularly pessimistic, but Kowalski could see through the stony front.

Skipper was unsure whether he could deal with this or not.

Kowalski simply brushed that off as a trick of light, but the flickering uncertainty in his leader's icy eyes was unnerving. He suddenly felt cold. If Skipper wasn't sure, then who could he depend on?

But he pushed it all away, and they searched on.

The three penguins were scanning a dark alley that day when Private suddenly stopped, and bent down.

"Skippah, I found something."

It was a shredded black feather, barely hanging together.

Kowalski didn't dare to raise his hopes, for it might just be a pigeon's feathers, but he couldn't prevent a fleeting thought.

_Maybe it's Rico's._

There were several similar feathers scattered around in the area. Skipper immediately seized the feather and gave it a quick lick. He made a face but his eyes lit up.

"Rico," he confirmed.

_Yes! But how did he get here?_

"Here's something else!" Private's call grabbed Kowalski's attention before he could dwell on the feather. Private was holding something in his flipper and waving it frantically at his teammates from several feet away. Kowalski frowned and squinted at the shadowed item.

It was a crimson dart. Skipper stiffened at the sight of the needle-like object, but Kowalski immediately recognized it. He snatched it from the young penguin's flipper and inspected it. _Good Galileo._

The pieces started falling into place.

"Of course," he breathed. "A tranquilizer for animals. That's why."

"Why what?"

He turned to Skipper and Private, careful not to touch the tip of the dart. He was trembling with excitement as he realized what happened.

"A tranquilizer! The zookeeper must've darted Rico without him noticing, and the drug knocked him out immediately. Then it would be easy to stuff a penguin in a sack and lug him off when he's unconscious. Rico's claws must've scratched the ice when the zookeeper grabbed him."

He watched as the confusion in their eyes turned into comprehension. He turned it around and saw the company name etched on the surface, followed by an unmistakable logo.

Kowalski inhaled sharply.

"I think we know where Rico is now."


End file.
